Tremolo device for stringed instruments



Oct. 2, 1962 P. D. BUTTS TREMOLO DEVICE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed Sept. 1, 1960 United States Patent 3,056,329 TREMOLO DEVICE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Paul D. Butts, 717 Pennington, Corpus Christi, Tex. Filed Sept. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 53,486 10 Claims. (Cl. 84--313) This invention relates to improvements in stringed instruments, such as guitars or the like, and more particularly to a devic for producing a true vibrato or tremolo in the tones produced by the strings of any stringed instrument to which it may be attached.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device that will alter the normal tone quality of a stringed instrument so that the tonal quality of all of the strings will be changed simultaneously to provide a tremolo effect to the tones.

Another object of this invention is to provid a device of this character that is incorporated with the tail piece of a stringed instrument so that a lever incorporated in the device may be actuated by the hand of the musician strumming the strings of the stringed instrument.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel spring tensioned device which can b effectively controlled to produce a tremolo effect of the tones of the instrument by a readily accessible control lever which will easily and quickly manipulate the device and whereby the spring action of the device will quickly return the devic to the position wherein a normal tone quality of the strings is produced.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a device having a string attaching member incorporated therein and whereby such member may be subjected to a twisting motion so that it is moved in an are both vertically and horizontally so that the tension applied to the strings of the instrument may be readily varied to produce a tremolo effect to the tones of the strings.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists of the following details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stringed instrument showing one form of the embodiment of the invention associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view, partly broken away and with parts removed, of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 2., showing in full lines th inoperative position of the control lever of the device and in dot-dash lines the position the device assumes when the strings are not attached to the tailpiece;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 4 and of another form of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 5.

Referring more in detail to the drawing and more especially to FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like parts, the reference numeral 10 is used to designat a stringed instrument, such as a guitar with which is associated a tremolo device 1-1 embodying the invention.

The tremolo device 11 comprises a tail piece portion 12 that has a substantially triangular shaped attaching end portion 13 integral therewith and extending at right angles therefrom that is provided with equally spaced openings 14'whereby fastening means 15 may be extended therethrough to attach the device 11 to a guitar 10, as shown in FIG. 1. A peg screw or bolt 16 for the guitar 10 is secured by means of an opening 17 to the end portion 13 centrally of the spaced openings 14.

The side edges of the tail piece portion 12 has in- Wandly converging portions 18 and 19 and outwardly diverging portions 20 and 21 that meet at common terminal points 22 and 23 and has extending therebetween a throat portion 24 which is positioned against the bend or demarkation line 25 of the tail piece 12 and end portion 13.

The tail piece 12 is made from a strip of highly polished spring steel and at the end of the tail piece 12 opposite to the end portion 13, th tail piece 12 is bent rearwardly upon itself under the bottom surface thereof to form a horizontally folded edge 26 and is again bent forwardly to form a second horizontally folded edge 27 of an arcuate shaped spring portion 28. The spring portion 28 has an end 29 thereof bent toward the folded edge 26 along the curved portion 30 and the end 29 is bent inwardly upon itself to provide a horizontally folded edge 31 which is spaced from and is parallel to the folded edge 26 and the end 29 extends toward the curved portion 30 to provide a reinforcing strip 32, the upper surface of which is in contact with and is parallel to the end portion 29, as shown in FIG. 4. The end portion 29 and strip 32 form th string attaching member for the stringed instrument 10 and parallel equally spaced slots 33 extend into the end portion 29 and strip 32 from the folded edge 31, to provide means whereby the strings of the instru- ,ment are attached to the string ataching member of the stringed instrument 10.

Aligned openings 34 and 34' are provided in the end portion 29 and reinforcing strip 32 to receive the bearing end 35 of a control lever '36. A circular shoulder 37 is provided on the end 35 above the upper surface of the end portion 29 and a reduced threaded portion 38 is provided on the end 35 that extends below the under surface of the reinforcing strip 32. A nut 39, when threaded onto the portion 38 will draw the shoulder 37 into contact with the upper surface of the end portion 29 to provide frictional limitation to the rotation of the control lever 36. The control lever 36 has a straight hand engaging portion 39 that is formed integral with the bearing end 35 by means of a right angular bend 40. The portion 39 has an integral curved portion 41 that curves to the left and an angularly directed straight portion 42 is integral with the portion 41 and terminates in an oppositely and downwardly directed angular end portion 43.

In the operation of the device the control lever 36 is moved to the dot-dash line position shown in FIG. 2. In this position it is located so that it is readily accessible to the hand of the musician that is strumming the strings A. Thus as manual pressure by the strumming hand is applied to the control lever 36 to move it downward, the tension on the strings A will be lessened, thus causing a lower pitch in the tone of the strings when they are strummed. By lifting upwardly on the control lever 36, the tension on the strings will be increased and a higher pitch of the tone of the strings will be achieved. Thus by rapidly applying pressure .or lifting upwardly on the control lever 36, the tones of the strings will be varied to achieve a tremolo effect thereof.

Movement of the control lever '36 is achieved by reason of the spring action of the curved portion 28. While the device, by the inherent nature of the material from which it is made, is somewhat flexible, it is not sufficiently flexible to los sufficient rigidity to retain the strings under proper tension to provide normal tones to the strings A. The curved portion 28 must also be sufliciently flexible to return to its normal position, returning the strings to their normal pitch of tone when the control lever 36 is released.

When it is not desired to use the device, the control Patented Oct. 2, 1962' lever 36 is moved to the full line position shown in FIG. 1 and by lifting upwardly on the control lever 36 and moving it to the left, as shown by dotted lines in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control lever 36 may be moved to an inoperative and storing position and is out of the way during transportation of the stringed instrument.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 a tremolo device .11 is shown and this form of the invention includes a tail piece portion 12', end portion 13', fastening means 15, peg screw or bolt 16 and is otherwise formed similarly to the tail piece 12, except for the latter described modification which includes a horizontally folded end 44 that is formed by extremity 45 of the tail piece 12' being bent under and rearwardly of the end 44. The end 45 is spaced sufficiently from the tail piece 12 to receive the curved end 46 of an arcuate shaped spring portion 47 that has secured to the opposite curved end 48 thereof a string attaching member 49, the member has equally spaced slots 50 therein to receive the strings of the stringed instrument 10 and is provided with an opening that is similarly located to the openings 34 and 34 previously described. A control lever 36 is mounted in the opening in the same manner as is the control lever 36 mounted in the openings 34 and 34 and a circular shoulder 37' frictionally engages the upper surfac of the member 49 when a nut 39 is threaded onto the threaded portion 38 of the control lever 36 as previously described. The control lever 36' includes the same portions 40, 39 41', 42 and 43' as the control lever 36 and the action of the control lever 36 is identical with the action of the control lever 36.

A substantially rectangular shaped pressure plate 51 has an arcuate shaped portion 52 that engages the under surface of the spring portion 47 and an attaching portion 53 that is secured to the tail piece 12 by fastening means 54. Thus, this 'form of the invention operates similarly to the form pheviously described, except for the additional pressure tnat is applied to the spring portion 47 and the fact that the spring portion 47 may be removed if it loses its tension.

It is apparent that different types of string instruments will require different sizes of the tremolo devices and the manner of attaching such devices may be varied without altering the principle or operation of the device as long as the operation previously described is adhered to.

It is also believed that the structure and operation of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art and it'is to be understood that changes in theminor details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described th invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a stringed musical instrument having a body and strings extending thereon of a tremolo device comprising a tail piece, a string attaching member positioned at the end of the tail piece, a spring portion comprising th sole means for connecting said member to said tail piece and a control lever mounted on said string attaching member and projecting therefrom "for varying the tension of the strings of the instrument.

2. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said spring portion is with said string attaching member and said tail piece.

3. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said spring portion is removably attached to said tail piece. and integral with said string attaching member.

4. The combination as in claim 3, wherein a pressure plate is connected to said tail piece and engages theqmder surface of said spring portion.

5. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said spring portion is formed integral with said tail piece by a reverse bend in said tail piece and is formed integral with said member by a curved portion and said member includes a reinforcing strip and said member and said reinforcing strip are provided with a plurality of equally spaced slots to receive the ends of the strings of the instrument.

6. The combination as in claim 1, wherein the tail piece is provided with a reverse bend at one end and the spring portion is provided with a curved end portion that is to be removably connected to the reverse bend on said tail piece.

'7. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said string attaching member is provided with an opening to receive an end of said control lever and said control lever has a circular shoulder thereon to engage said member and a nut is threadably connected to the end of the control lever that extends through said member so that frictional limitation of the movement of said control lever is provided.

8. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said tail piece, spring portion and string attaching member are made of a highly polished spring metal.

9. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said tail' piece has an'end portionthat is adapted to be secured to the body of said musical instrument.

10. The combination as in claim 9, wherein said end Matthew et a1. Aug. 4, 1959 Fender Feb. 28, 1961 

